Colleges wrestle with futility of `efficiency'

David Charter finds growth targets are forcing job losses in further education. Under-recruitment of students in the light of continuing growth targets plays a large part in the pattern of redund-ancies across the further education sector.

The several hundred full-time lecturers being made redundant around the country are also being joined by a hidden number of part-time staff.

The largest number of job losses is at Liverpool Community College, where a Pounds 3.2 million deficit has resulted in the axing of 150 jobs.

So far 63 academic and 12 support staff have volunteered for redundancy and the corporation meets today to decide how to make the other cuts.

"We are down on our funding from the Further Education Funding Council because we did not meet our student targets for this academic year. There has been a shortfall of 1,000 full-time equivalent students," said a Natfhe spokesman.

"We have written to all the Liverpool MPs asking if they could take up the matter. We believe the management set unrealistic targets."

Merseyside had already suffered a bout of job losses in December when 40 staff agreed to volunteer for redundancy at St Helens College.

A recurring deficit of Pounds 750,000 has led North Birmingham College to call for 22 voluntary redundancies - including a fifth of its 78 full-time lecturers.

City of Westminster College has proposed the loss of 12 lecturers' jobs as part of a restructuring of its faculty of engineering and building services.

And as part of the phased closure of the Dalston Lane site at Hackney College, a total of 30 full-time equivalent posts are being lost among teachers, support staff and managers.

The Natfhe branch at Southwark College has called an indefinite strike over plans for 38 redundancies to save Pounds 1 million. The college is believed to be owed Pounds 500,000 by the collapsed South Thames Training and Enterprise Council.

A vote of no confidence was passed in the management of East Warwickshire College after it announced 32 full and part-time job losses.

The 14 lecturers and 18 support staff will help save Pounds 750,000 a year while new courses are planned to boost future enrolments.

Restructuring at Calderdale College has led to 24 redundancies being announced and nine members of teaching staff have lost their jobs at Mackworth College, Derby.

East Devon College has proposed six compulsory redundancies of lecturers, again through failure to meet student growth plans. And 11 posts have been made redundant at Cambridge Regional College due to shortfalls in students on construction and electronics courses.

In December, 69 lecturers at Stoke-on-Trent College shared in a Pounds 1.8 million enhanced early retirement package. North Trafford College of Further Education in Manchester is seeking 25 full-time equivalent redundancies among teaching staff and six from support staff after failing to meet targets.